Honor Bound
by aqua-reina
Summary: 6 Element Slavery Zutara Challenge fic for T-rex989. After being taken from her homeland, Katara must now try to find some semblance of a normal life under the thumb of her new Master. My take on a beautifully overused plot.
1. To Serve

Honor Bound

SLAVERY CHALLENGE for T-rex989

Warnings: AU, language, sexual situations/nudity, enslavement, and probs OOC (sorry, I'm trying)

Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or any of the mentioned characters. All credit should go to the original authors.

Chapter 1

 _She was running, didn't know where to go, but she had to keep moving or it would catch up. Katara couldn't turn around, it would slow her down too much. Why was it getting so hard to breathe? She sprinted through hallways of blue ice. She chanced a look._

 _The ice was melting._

 _It was getting closer._

 _She sped through the hallways. All the doors had been bolted shut, she could feel the beginnings of bruises form on the palms of her hands from the pounding, her voice hoarse from screaming at barred doors. She realize she had turned down a hallway with fresh snow up to her knees, too late to turn back. Katara's breathing was getting more dyspneic. Why did she feel like she was drowning?_

 _The footsteps got louder. The snow was slowing her down._

' _Run…must run faster!'_

 _Her skin crawled as she felt the tips of fingers brush the base of her spine. She couldn't run anymore. The snow had paralyzed her movements to non-existent. A hand grabbed the back of her neck, she tried to scream but the falling snow now too thick, muting her voice._

 _She could hear Gran Gran clattering about in the kitchen she knew was one more doorway down. The warm golden light shining from under the door._

 _Sokka's soft metallic zing's he made as he sharpened his boomerang were coming from the door just to her right. A gloved hand covered her mouth._

 _No one was going to help her. She wanted to cry but couldn't...if she just had AIR._

 _Slowly she was being pulled back. Katara clawed at the ground but her hands found no purchase against the soft snow._

 _There was wind against her cheek and the hand was gone._

 _She found herself suddenly on the docks of her village. Katara looked down and noticed she was in her dress used only for formal occasions. The white bone trinkets that were sewn into the blue hide made her heart ache. Her hand ghosted over embroidery and beads hand sewn by her mother and grandmother._

 _Sokka was standing next to her father with an angry look. She felt sadness when she finally caught the gaze of her father._

 _The sky turned red and her father's voice boomed through the clouds._

" _This is for the safety of the tribe."_

 _Katara's heart beat faster in her chest as she felt the creature getting closer. She couldn't see it in all this red, but she knew something was coming._

 _Leather wrapped around her neck and squeezed._

" _You will be mine…" Katara tried to scream again…nothing._

 _She turned to shove herself away from the monster and regretted looking into it's eyes. It looked like a man, but everything was wrong. It's head was too enormous for it's body, the black eyes with gold irises buzzed inside the sockets, not stopping for a second to examine any one thing. Like bugs flying to all corners of a glass jar. The skin of the face was slowly melting on to it's black cape that engulfed nearly the entire dock._

" _You will be mine…"_

 _She was going to die. No one was going to save her. No one could hear her. She was−_

Katara bolted up right at the sound of metal screeching. Her chest heaving from the nightmare. A tall shadow with broad shoulders entered her cell and her mind immediately went back to the horrendous image of the monster in the hallway.

"My…my…it seems my precious ocean gem has finally awakened," the voice lowered, "did you enjoy your nightmare?" Katara glared at the man that had stolen her from her home. This man…Admiral Zhao…she prayed for the day he would drown in the waters of her home. He stepped closer to her until he was almost to the edge of her blanket.

"It really is a shame the Fire Lord asked for this type of present specifically. The Fire Prince wouldn't know what to do with a woman, much less a personal slave. I'm sure _we_ would have gotten along famously…" Katara tried hard not to scoff at his remark. She sat on her bunk poised and calm. Well, as calm as she could, being that her hands were currently tied behind her back and she was sitting in a cell somewhere at the bottom of a ship.

She didn't let her face show any emotion as the man leaned forward to inspect her face.

Zhao or Monkey Beard, she'd prefer to think of him as, oozed arrogance and power. He lifted a hand to her chin but Katara yanked her face away from him before he could touch her. The smile that spread across his face made her stomach churn.

"Get her cleaned up and ready. I want her presentable when we dock with Prince Zuko's ship." He turned to leave the cell, letting two male servants enter the cell quickly to grab the girl.

"What are you doing?! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Zhao's rat-snake charm of a smile didn't leave his faceas she was nearly dragged out of the cell. She noticed a table with clothing folded neatly on the edge and a large water basin next to them.

"Zhao you despicable creature of a man…I'll make sure you−"

"Silence her."

"WH-hnn!"

She tried to yell in horror as the servants yanked and quickly stripped her of her clothing. Zhao doing nothing but watching from his place against the wall. The servants took a knife to her dirty and torn dress to remove it completely, not once unbinding her wrists. Katara felt her heart give a thump at the sound of the white bone beads spilling onto the floor, her mother's dress now in shreds at her feet.

"Hmm…interesting…" Zhao hummed at the sight. Katara tried to glare as viciously as she could as the servants yanked and sliced her clothes, exposing more and more of her dark skin. Heat flooded to her cheeks from embarrassment.

A hand grabbed her hair and roughly dumped her face into the water basin. The water was so cold she couldn't help but gasp and breathe in the frozen water, her hair was yanked back seconds later. The soaking wet gag didn't help her as she tried to cough out the liquid trapped in her lungs.

Wet wash cloths scrubbed every inch of her skin. They didn't even giver her the dignity of washing her most personal areas by herself. The servants continued to scrub her skin until it was raw and poured the last of the icy water over her head to rid her hair and body of any soap that had been left behind.

"Hold her down Zhato."

"Hnn?" The one named Zhato moved the now empty water basin over and grabbed Katara by the back of her neck, forcing her forehead against the table. She felt what must have been his forearm against her lower back, completely pinning her against the metal table. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp but a third hand pressed against her back as well.

Her mind raced at the ideas of what they were going to do. She suppressed the muffled yelp that almost left her mouth as she felt cool liquid brush against her spine at the base of her neck. She couldn't even decipher what had been written on her skin. When she felt the last of the liquid dry, a hot hand pressed against the same spot. She couldn't help the whimper escape her lips as she felt the markings from the liquid feel as if they were burning straight into her vertebrae. Zhao's footsteps echoed against the metal walls as he walked closer to the table.

" _Perfect_."

She immediately was released and pulled back to standing, head feeling dizzy from the force.

Katara couldn't keep the blush from rising to her cheeks when the other servant had gone to retrieve the clothing on the table and came back with some stringed catastrophe.

"You like it, do you? I had it made specifically for you. Nothing screams personal companion like the clothing of a whore. " Katara couldn't help but glare at Zhao when she heard him starting to laugh. "Precious Agni…Prince Zuko is going to soil his pants when he sees you. After his outburst years ago about human equality for the soldiers blah…blah…I've been dying to give him a present such as yourself." Zhao wiped a tear from his cheek, "Agni, it still makes me laugh so hard even to this day."

When the servants had finally finished dressing her and powdering her cheeks she looked down. Well…if she didn't feel violated before.

Her breasts were covered with two triangle strips of thick cloth that tied behind her neck and a thick strip of cloth along the bottom that tied in the back. Silver and white wooden beads hung off of the navy blue top in a "U" fashion that made delicate clinking noises against her skin as she moved. She had on what she assumed was underwear in the same dark color blue that tied on the sides of her hips, but she had never seen a pair of underwear that even revealed this much thigh. To top it off there was a light blue, see-through wrap as soft as silk that did nothing to hid her legs. It had been tied off on the left side of her hip and the entirety of her left leg peaked through.

At least the colors were familiar in the sea of red she had been surrounded in. Katara would rather die than live in cloths that screamed "Fire Nation", the same nation she was enslaved under. At least she could still claim home in the colors of her past.

Her knees swayed at the soft rocking of the ship, Zhao raised his head.

"It seems we've caught sight of Prince Zuko's ship." His rat-snake charm smile reappeared. "Get her fully prepared. I don't want Prince Zuko's present tarnished." And with that he left. The servants pulled and brushed her hair so roughly she was sure she'd be bald before the moon rose in the sky. But being that they didn't know what to do with her hair, they left it down, not bothering in tying it up.

Katara's heart sank as she was yanked up the endless stairs she had been dragged down on only weeks before. She prayed to Tui and La for strength and protection as she ascended the stairs, hoping this Prince Zuko wouldn't be as horrible as Zhao.

The sun blinded her as she was pushed past the thick metal door. She couldn't help the hiss that escaped her lips as the servant yanked on her arm, almost taking the bone out of it's socket as she was hauled to stand behind Zhao and another man. Zhato held her almost at arm's length as if she was still covered in dirt and grime while the other untied her gag and left.

The two men turned to look at her. She felt her eyes widen as they settled on the other man. He was tall and his posture was powerful. His armor was more decorated than Zhao's and his hair was longer. She felt her breath hitch when her eyes landed on the golden flame perfectly placed in his top knot.

"You weren't lying when you said you had captured quite the specimen. Although, she is a little thick for my tastes." The Fire Lord's voice made her skin crawl.

"Indeed Your Majesty, but can you imagine? After searching the entire Southern Water Tribe and this was all they had to offer? It should be shameful their race has even lived this long. I even had to take a look for myself."

The Fire Lord's perfect eyebrow raised as he looked towards Zhao. "Admiral Zhao, we both know you did a little more than searching in the South." Katara clenched her jaw at what seemed like an inside joke to them. "But I'm sure Prince Zuko will appreciate his birthday gift, it is quite an honor to be given a personal companion after all." The Fire Lord turned back to Zhao.

"Not to mention his recent promotion," Admiral Zhao growled.

"It could not be helped, my older sibling had made the decision final after he had notified me. Iroh has too soft a heart, it's a wonder he hasn't destroyed the Fire Navy in his position as Grand Admiral."

Katara saw Zhao's face turn sour. "Agreed."

It had taken a while for the ships to position for docking. The waves were calm enough that the metal plank connecting the ship clanged sadly as waves barely jostled the two enormous metal ships. Katara noticed a man emerge on the other ship and began walking towards the plank. She noted a familiarity on his face that almost resembled the Fire Lord. He would have been a perfect clone of his father if he didn't have the bright red scar over his left eye. The man's eyes locked onto Katara's and narrowed as he crossed the bridge, his scar wrinkling at the movement. Katara couldn't help but stare and hoped that that wasn't the famous Prince she was being rewarded too.

The man bowed deeply towards the Fire Lord after he finally stepped foot on the opposite ship.

"Greetings Fire Lord," He turned and gave the same bow to Zhao, "Admiral Zhao, good day."

The Fire Lord spoke first, "You certainly took your time to meet with us, Prince Zuko." Katara could have sworn the tension in the air increased ten fold, her heart clenched at use of the name. Of course, she had to have jinxed herself.

"My apologies." Admiral Zhao turned and motioned for the servant to walk forward. Her arm was jerked again and they stopped a few feet from the men.

"Prince Zuko," Zhao began, "for your most recent promotion to Commander of the Fire Navy along with the 25th celebration of your birth, I present to you my gift." The prince's eyes barely glanced over Katara. "She is a delicacy of the Southern Water Tribe. I hope you enjoy your gift to the fullest of it's capacity." Katara tried hard to keep the bile from spilling out of her throat, she clenched her hands into fists behind her back.

The tension didn't ease as the Prince didn't so much as look away from Admiral Zhao. She saw his jaw clench and unclench before he finally answered with a bow.

"I am honored to accept such a humble gift from my superior." Katara thought his raspy voice held a little too much annoyance for him to truly be grateful.

Katara tried hard not to gasp again at the rough jerk on her arm and followed Zhato onto the plank. She looked over the edge and yearned to feel the freedom of the ocean swaying under their feet. It felt like ages since the last time she had danced with the ocean waves.

As they reached the end, Zhato shoved her away from him and made a sound of disgust. "I feel like I need a bath. I can't believe I was stuck with washing and preparing her for this." As if the servant was wiping imaginary dirt off his hands, he turned away once Katara had successfully been grabbed by someone else.

She looked up at the man currently holding her shoulder and shuddered. He was definitely a sailor and not a servant judging by his clothing but the smirk on his face did nothing to ease her thoughts.

"Yur lucky yur the prince's prize and nobody else's girlie…t'sa shame too." He pulled her to a metal door and opened it with a huff. She glanced back towards the other ship to see the Fire Lord, Admiral and Prince still talking, although the prince now seemed to be holding a small wrapped package. Her vision was blocked completely as a gag was placed over her mouth and a dark woven cloth over her eyes. She tried to yell and squirm away but the hands holding onto her had too strong a grip.

She was being led down a hallway and was hoisted over a shoulder when she had almost tumbled down a set of stairs. The sailor's shoulder dug into her stomach and nothing she did could ease the pain in her abdomen. Her head was swimming, dizzy from the twists and turns she felt him make before the sound of a door alerted her ears and she was roughly tossed onto a hard mat.

"Sit up girlie!" Rough hands pulled at her unbound hair into a sitting position. With the blindfold and gag into place, not to mention her hands still tied behind her back, Katara knew her options were limited. She sat on her heels as she thought of what her fate would be. From the sound of the sailor's mouth breathing, he dragged her down to this room and was probably standing in the open doorway. Silence permeated the air for a while before a pair of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

"Leave us." Katara heard the sailor mumble something in acknowledgement and the sound of a heavy metal door and a lock clicking into place dampened her spirits. So much for the "bust through the door" idea she had going.

A wave of heat passed by her and she could have sworn it might have been a flame but the smell of smoke was nowhere in the air. The room was starting to warm to an almost uncomfortable degree before the source of heat vanished with a low male growl. Something sounded as if paper were being crumpled or hit onto a hard surface on the other side of the room. Katara gulped.

It was a second before she heard the familiar voice of the prince utter a string of curses under his breath and the sensation of hands lifting the blindfold and untying the gag from her mouth. Her vision swam for a little and her heart rate spiked when she felt hot heat against her wrists only seconds later to feel the rope falling from her wrists.

As soon as she was free Katara shoved against the Fire Prince's chest and tried to crawl away until her back hit a cold metal wall. When her eyesight finally normalized, Katara glanced around the room frantically. It was a moderate size room that was bare with only a bed, dresser and desk in it. Red curtains were pulled over the large window-like door casting the room in a warm red light. Her eyes quickly went to the prince crouched in front of her and noticed an annoyed expression on his face.

He rose from his position on the bed and walked to the window on the opposite far side from the door and ripped the curtains open. Katara immediately saw a small patio with a chair and a small table on the opposite side of the glass doors that over-looked the ocean.

Her heart started racing. She saw her way out.

Her eyes went back to the prince when he moved to cross his arms. She saw him release a slow breath that almost looked like steam before he turned to her. Fear and raw nerves scrunched into a knot in her throat.

"As if I don't have enough things to worry about, I now have you. This is just perfect." Katara remained silent as he clenched his eyes shut and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. Katara took the moment to really examine the prince. Save for the nasty scar that took up the large majority of his face, the prince wasn't too horrible to look at, he even was nice looking when his good side was turned to her, hiding the hideous mark. At least he was more attractive than Monkey Beard. She stopped her thoughts when the prince's gaze returned to her.

"I'm unaware if you truly understand the position of a personal companion when in the Fire Nation, but it is actually revered as a place of honor. With you being a peasant from the Southern Water Tribe, I can't even think you comprehend." Katara just stared at him, she had to bite her tongue to suppress the urge to hit him. His good eye widened a bit, "shit…I didn't even think to ask. Do you even speak Agnilese?"

Well, this would be entertaining if anything. Katara tried to look confused and tilted her head a bit. The prince groaned and sat on the edge of the mat next to her, rubbing anxiously at his face before looking at her again.

"Do you…understand…me?" Why was he speaking louder?

She pinched her thumb and index finger together and motioned it towards the prince, "little… _ĥjuté_ " It took all of Katara's might not to laugh out loud at the miserable expression on Prince Zuko's face.

"Precious be Agni…as if this situation wasn't a mess to begin with!" the prince groaned into his hands once more. Katara chanced a quick look to the ocean while the prince was distracted. Folding a piece of hair behind her ear she turned back to him as he looked to her.

"Well first things first, you need to bathe. You smell like Zhao's precious mineral oils he won't shut up about." She watched him nervously as he stood and opened a door opposite to the bed and disappeared into the other room. She noticed a mirror and a tub from her vantage point and slowly rose from the mat when she heard the sounds of running water. As she stepped closer, Katara noticed that the smaller room was just as bare as the main room with another door on the opposite side. A long rectangular window ran across the length of the bathing room at the same height as the Prince's head. She figured if she stood on the ledges of the tub and climbed the wall, she'd be able to see her ocean again.

A commanding male voice crashed into her reverie and looked up at the Prince with a questioning look on her face.

"Strip." Prince Zuko's voice held the same authority and annoyance as when he talked to Zhao earlier. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Out." She pointed towards the door for emphasis. The prince raised an eyebrow before he slowly stepped backwards, pushing the door further open on his way out. His gaze almost daring her to object. She stayed silent as he walked out of the room and disappeared around the corner. She assumed he went out onto the patio when she heard the sound of a door sliding. Katara didn't dare undress until she heard the door slide to a closed.

She smiled as it clicked shut.

In a flurry of excitement she stripped herself of her blue top and skirt, leaving her lower garment on and quickly made for the large tub.

Katara let out a small whine as the cold water reach her midsection but continued down into the water until she was completely submerged. The cool water did little to smooth her frazzled brain as she tried to push herself to the bottom. She opened her eyes underwater and peered up at the warping window. The light reflecting through the water almost made her see rainbows. A peaceful calm washed over her as her element lapped and pushed against her tired body. She didn't think she'd be able to bask in the luxury of her element when she had first been taken from her home.

But she would be home eventually. She had to get back.

Katara came up for another breath. She pulled her feet up and out of the water, sliding closer to the end with the faucet before pinching her nose closed with her fingers and leaning backwards into the water.

She stayed there as long as she could, peaking her eyes open to look at the ceiling, Katara nearly choked on the bath water as a face appeared.

The furious face of the fire prince suddenly peering over the tub made her gasp in surprise and rise out of the water, hacking and coughing.

"What are you _doing_?!" Katara screamed as she covered herself.

He braced himself on the edge of the tub and leaned over her.

"Do I have to worry about you?" His face inches from hers. Her eyes widened at the statement.

"I would never allow myself to die so carelessly away from my homeland." Her tribal accent thick as it rolled with her tongue. The prince only narrowed his eyes.

"So you can understand me just fine. Move over." Her eyes bugged out.

"Excuse me?!"

"I don't repeat myself. I don't trust you to not be foolish." Katara tried to contain her growl as she floated to the corner of the tub farthest from the prince. He must have already removed his armor because his shirt had been removed so easily, already on the floor. He removed everything except his under garments and swiveled over the edge of the tub. His top knot was still perfectly in place. He let out a hiss as his feet went into the water. "It's barbaric thinking you've been in this cold water."

She couldn't keep her eyes off of his form as she watched the muscles in his abdomen and arms flex as they came in contact with the cold water. Maybe fighting the prince in hand-to-hand was not such a good idea.

The prince finally sat in the tub and laid back against the opposite end, making himself comfortable. His feet on either side of Katara. While the tub may be large for one person, it was a snug fit with two people.

Katara bit her lip to ease her nerves. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He laid his head back and closed his eyes. She watched in curiosity as he brought his fists together, palm against fist, and exhaled a deep breath. Within seconds Katara could feel the water warm to incredible temperatures. Was the fire prince planning on boiling her alive?!

"Stop! It's getting too hot!" The prince immediately stopped his breathing and peaked through his good eye. Katara tried not to panic as she felt goosebumps travel up her entire body.

He quirked his eyebrow at her, "is this really too hot?" Katara just looked at him and moved her legs under the water. This was bad. If she got onto the prince's bad side, he could boil her with her own bath water.

"No…I'll think I'll be okay." He nodded.

"Come." He raised his arms and motioned to her with his fingers. Tentatively, Katara moved closer, keeping her arms over her chest. When her shoulder was within reach, the prince pulled her until she was straddling his lap, pried her arms away from her chest and froze. "What is that?"

"They're breasts…" Katara couldn't look him in the eye as she felt her cheeks get hot.

"I know what breasts are…I'm speaking about that."

"It's a piercing."

"Obviously….your culture is barbaric."

"So is yours." Katara whipped her head around and glared him in the eye.

"How is my culture barbaric when you use bones of other animals to pierce your nipples?" His voice rasping in annoyance.

"You gift humans to other humans. Plus it's archaic that men in your culture still _have_ their nipples! What…do you expect to breastfeed in the near fut−" The prince's hand shot out of the water and grabbed her jaw.

"Watch your tongue." His voice lowering as he continued. "You'd be wise to not upset me. Since my honor is riding on the success of this forever _fucked_ of a situation Zhao and my father have put me in, I intend for this companionship to last. I'm an honorable man but that doesn't mean you can tempt me. You are still my property and I am still allowed to act _however_ I please. Did I make myself clear, water peasant?" The hold on Katara's jaw was too tight for her to nod her head, but the prince seemed to get the idea.

"I understand…Master…" Zuko sneered as he lowered his hand back to the water.

"And here I thought you were only able to speak my language minimally." He raised an eyebrow at her in a challenge. Katara couldn't help but move her glare away. "Just call me Zuko in private. Keep those names only when we're in public. Speaking of which, what is your name?"

She rubbed her jaw a bit before responding. "Katara." She tried not to flinch when his other hand reached out of the steaming water, his index fingers tracing over her jaw.

"Do you have any others?"

"A-Any what?"

A calloused finger dragged against the bone piercing and traced the puckered flesh. Katara closed her eyes.

 _Oh…_

"I-I don't…I−" another few fingers traced the soft ridge of her collarbone, dipping towards the swell of her breast. His blunt nails dragged against her ribcage.

"Katara, I'm waiting."

"No," her breathing increased when the fingers traced the tops of her shoulders. Katara felt breathless when she finally saw his gaze. The smoldering look he held lit something deep inside her.

How was he able to do this to her?

His left hand rested against her hip under the water while the other traced her jaw. Her heart beat ran wild as the prince slowly leaned forward, placing his lips over her ear. She suppressed a shiver.

"Katara…I apologize for the forcefulness earlier, now move." Slowly, she retreated to her end of the tub and blamed the hot water for the heat in her cheeks as she watched him move out of the water. She couldn't stop her eyes from following his backside, his undergarments looked like they were clinging to _everything_ _._ She forced herself to solely looking at her knees when she realized she had been ogling his back muscles and watching the way they flexed as he rubbed the crisp off-white towel around his body to dry himself.

Why was it so hard to swallow down the lump in her throat?

With the towel finally wrapped around his waist, the prince turned to her. Steam rose off his shoulders and chest and quickly evaporated the remaining water into the air. His golden eyes taking in her entire form before looking in her eyes. Katara swore she thought the man before her was a dragon disguised as a human. The scar on his face making him already look half-dragon.

"Come join me when you're finished." And with that he left the bathing room. The knot in her throat finally went down.

Katara tried to steal her heart against the molten eyes that burned into her memory. This man was dangerous. She couldn't tell if her heart was beating from fear or excitement. Her rampant emotions bringing the water back to a comfortable cool, a thin layer of ice starting to form. With enough resolve powering her gut, Katara got out of the comfort of her liquid element and dried herself. She bit her lip when she realized the prince had not given her anything else to wear. Not wanting to walk around naked, she put back on her skimpy top and skirt and padded out to the prince.

As she finally stepped out of the bathroom, Katara almost faltered in her step when she saw the prince's eyes immediately open to the sounds of her footfalls. His golden eyes glowing in the candlelight. The smell of fresh fruit and spice wafted in the air as she stepped closer to the prince. He must have changed into comfortable pants after he left, still neglecting to put on a shirt. It was almost hard to look at him without averting her eyes, he seemed too comfortable laying on his mat half naked. The prince motioned for her to sit near the head of the mat, rolling to his side to grab a cup filled with various fruits. He shocked Katara when he rolled back over and laid his head on her thighs.

She couldn't help but look at him inquisitively as he set the cup on his chest, tapping a finger to his lips. Did he seriously want her to feed him? Katara couldn't imagine someone who seemed very prideful enjoying such a thing.

She clenched her teeth, ridding herself of her own pride as she reached for the cup and retrieved a small grape. The fruit looking as if it were about to burst with it's own juices. She gulped down her nerves as she pressed the fruit to his lips, sliding it easily into his mouth. The pad of her finger tingled as it came into contact with his lips.

She felt a tingle bubble up her spine as his jaw flexed and the muted crunch of the grape made its way to her ears.

"Another."

Again she reached for another fruit, and felt her skin burn from where she knew he was watching her. Still, her fingers tingled at the touch of his skin.

"Another."

The audible popping of the grapes was becoming addictive.

"More."

Electricity shot to the center of her palm as his teeth grazed her fingers. The crunching of the grape somehow had started to excite her spirit and warm her core like the fire pits back home. She tongued the back of her teeth as she watched his adam's apple move along the prince's throat as he swallowed.

"Another." She couldn't help but notice his voice had gotten lower.

Katara picked up a fruit she had never seen before. It's tiny little seeds almost covering the entire outer skin. The man below her must have picked up on her confusion before speaking.

"It's called a strawberry. Have you tried one before?"

"No, it almost looks poisonous." His lips barely moved as he smirked.

"I assure you it's not." Katara couldn't stop the worried look from showing on her face. His eyes narrowed slightly, "try it."

She shook her head, "this wasn't for me−" His palm shot up too quickly for her to register, stopping her hand from bringing the fruit to his lips.

"Try…"

She licked her lips in nervousness. She gulped as she stared at it. His palm giving a gentle push on her wrist again in encouragement.

She didn't break eye contact as her teeth dragged against the red fruit and bit down. Her taste buds tingled in excitement as the fruit's soft flesh embraced her tongue. She had to cover her face with her other hand as she felt juice spill out the corners of her lips.

Her eyes wanted to roll to the back of her head in the sudden euphoria as she took another bite of the fruit. She couldn't help the barely audible moan from escape her throat and into the silent room. Katara felt the embarrassment smack her cheeks when her own voice echoed in her ears.

She jolted as the prince moved from his spot on her lap and sat up quickly. The fire in his eyes burning something bright deep within her as he dragged his thumb over the juice that had spilled over her jaw and watched in a mix of wonder and horror as he sucked his thumb clean. This man had to have been a dragon in a previous life to have so much heat in his gaze, Katara felt like he was trying to melt her soul through his eyes.

She leaned forward to grab one of the cloth napkins, her hair falling over her shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make a mess." As she leaned back her heart jumped into her throat when she saw pure uncontrolled anger burning in his golden eyes.

"What was…" Before she could ask what was wrong, he grabbed her shoulder and tugged her hair away from her neck. "Those sick bastards!" His hands felt like fire against her skin.

"Let me go! You're burning me!" She felt a hot stream of air on her neck as he growled in anger and released her.

What was written on her neck that made him so furious? What did Zhao write?!

"Zuko!" Before she could get another word out, he had quickly grabbed a robe that had been thrown over the edge of the chair and stormed out of the room.

Katara couldn't stop the slight jump of her muscles as the heavy metal door slammed closed.

What just happened?

Katara growled as she threw the remains of the fruit back into the bowl.

"This is just great!" She rose and started pacing the prince's room, even the familiarity of her native language was doing nothing to calm her down. "Great going Katara, not only is the person in charge of your life somehow pissed at you, you had to somehow insult him enough to make him storm off!" She let out a frustrated growl as she kicked his pillow.

"You can't do anything right! Now I'll probably be stuck here longer as his stupid stupid _stupid_ _companion_!" She stomped her foot with extra vigor on the pillow as she cursed. "There's not even a…wait!" She rushed to the side door. She smiled in excitement as the door slid open easily. Wind whipped through her hair and into the room as she slipped outside, sliding it home to stop the vortex of wind from possibly destroying the room any further. Her heart leapt into her throat as she raced to the edge of the small patio.

The ocean's color of deep blue was calling out. She wanted to desperately jump into the water, as she looked down, she gasped. The water below her was a raging torment as it swirled around the edges of the ship. The whitecaps and foam telling her more than enough that the she might not make the jump. She couldn't believe a ship this large was able to go at such a fast pace. The ships of the Southern Water Tribe only relied on wind and the power of a water bender if necessary.

Her knuckles turned white as she clenched the metal railing.

"There's no way…" She didn't even have to test the theory. She would die if she jumped into such ice cold raging waters. While she may be surrounded by her element, she wouldn't be able to bend herself continuously, night and day, until she reached her home shore.

Katara forbid her eyes from tearing up, unwilling to show such weakness even when alone. But the truth was…she didn't even know the direction of home.

As that final thought floated through her mind, the tears welled up on the rims of her eye lids.

"I just have to be patient." She reminded herself. "I just have to wait until the moment is right." Gran Gran's soft crackled voice floated through her head.

" _A hasty judgment in an unfamiliar setting would crack the ice of even the thickest glaciers."_

Katara smiled sadly, at least she still could remember the warmth of her Gran Gran's voice even at this distance.

She took a staggering breath in, wondering what Gran Gran was doing at this moment. Was she worrying over her? She couldn't help a weak smile at the realization that Sokka would have to wash his own dirty socks from now on until she made it home. And her father…

' _Father…do you even regret what you've done?'_

She wiped a tear from the edge of her cheek and took one last long look at her ocean. She could make out the barest of dark grey clouds on the horizon. Tui and La have been keeping her safe, she shouldn't doubt the great spirits if they were taking such great lengths to help her.

Katara turned back towards the room and landed on the mat with a huff. The grumpy prince had yet to return. Her eyes bobbed around the unfamiliar room and landed on the small paper package. Rising from the mat, she made her way to the desk and picked up the package. It smelled weird, like an earthy, sweet tea but felt much heavier than tea. Turning it over and over in her hand, she couldn't decipher what it could be.

"Maybe just a quick peak…"

She pulled on the string slowly until it untied. Inside was a round glass container with a lid that opened from a golden latch. Flipping the latch open, she was correct in her assumption of tea. The leaves looked a green-black color with small flecks of dark red leaves. As Katara flipped the lid open, she noticed character markings along the underside of the lid. The characters were completely unfamiliar to her and hoped that she would over hear Zuko reading them out loud at some point. The markings must mean something important or the tea must have been valuable if he were to get it as a birthday present.

She gritted her teeth at the reminder that _she_ was his present as well.

The image of strange characters reminded her of the markings on her own skin. She wondered what was written on her neck. It had been bad enough to make the prince mad. It would be horrible to have something vulgar written on her neck and not even be aware of it. She hadn't even been able to see them properly since turning her head would never work and the prince only had one small mirror. Katara let a hand rub at the skin on the back of her neck before setting the glass jar on the table and turning back to the prince's bed.

Images of the anger in his eyes swirled around her mind. Katara let out a frustrated groan into his pillow and grabbed at the burgundy blankets folded at the foot of the mat.

"There's no use ignoring a perfectly good bed if he's off storming somewhere else, right?" With a flick of her wrist, a small bubble of water from one of the cups on the food tray seemed to dance throughout the room as it extinguished the flames from the candles one by one. With the last drop of water evaporating in a hiss with the last candle, Katara turned on her side away from the door and closed her eyes.

Images of the fire prince's smirking lips trickled through her mind. She couldn't stopped her mind from replaying the sensation of his teeth on her fingers. Her brain didn't stop her torment as she dreamed of what her skin would feel like if he dragged his teeth elsewhere.

A/N:

Slavery challenge fic for T-rex989 Part 1 of 3. But WOW I'm sooooo sorry this has taken me so long to freaking upload. I hope this isn't a disappointment!

Hope you all enjoyed! I would totally believe it if Ozai and Zhao were BFFs and get together to mess around with poor Zuko. Extra points if Ursa never found out. It has to be canon somewhere…

PS: the word _ĥjuté_ used earlier is a made up word basically meaning "idiot". If some characters seem familiar it's because the basis is from the Siouan language (primarily Lakota) but it's still jarble.

See you in the next chapter

-AR


	2. To Entertain

Honor Bound

SLAVERY CHALLENGE

Warnings: vulgar language, sexual content

Chapter 2

 _With the last drop of water evaporating in a hiss with the last candle, Katara turned on her side away from the door and closed her eyes._

 _Images of the fire prince's smirking lips trickled through her mind. She couldn't stopped her mind from replaying the sensation of his teeth on her fingers. Her brain didn't stop her torment as she dreamed of what her skin would feel like if he dragged his teeth elsewhere._

 _o_

Two weeks had passed and Katara had barely seen the prince in that time. Occasionally she would walk around the upper deck to observe the waves or to grab some fresh air, but from the looks she received from various crew members, limiting her visits to only at night had been a wise choice.

Even now, the prince would pass her by in the halls, give her a curt nod of his head and calmly walk away.

She was too nervous to mention anything let alone speak to him of her own volition. Even the few chances of passing she did have, he kept their conversations to a minimum. Katara couldn't ease away from the feeling that she was treading thin ice.

The majority of her time was spent in the room with her meals out on the patio. At least she wasn't bothered by the crew. A few times, a brave soul would approach her in the common area and discuss trivial things. In most instances they spoke vulgar comments about her skin color or the shade of her eyes. One fellow even went to far as to try to touch her hair but before the sailor had even laid a hand on her, the fire prince appeared like a shark from dark waters and grabbed the sailor's hand. Katara couldn't tell if she saw fire or ice in the prince's eyes.

No one dared approach her after that, so she remained alone. As she ate dinner on the patio she smiled warmly to herself. Tonight was a full moon and the sailors were calling it an early night. They would be approaching Ember Island in two days and preparations on the ship had to be made.

But best of all, she would finally be able to waterbend under the light of the full moon. The warm salty air stuck to her skin and the humidity was almost unbearable during the days. But with the full moon behind her back,

Katara could practically feel the ocean's calming waves under her fingertips.

When the moon had finally risen high into the night sky and the last sounds of the sailors yelling "good nights" to each other, Katara snuck out onto the deck, grabbing one of the prince's robes on her way out the door. The cool metal tiles on the ship felt wonderful in the hot humid air. After confirming that no one was on deck, she quickly discarded her robe and walked out towards the center.

Katara took one last look around before summoning a mass of water. She had never felt so happy in her life as she made the water dance and swirl around her limbs, making it almost seem as if the water was an orca swimming happily through the night air.

"Oh I've missed this…" and she danced with her element. Her muscles reacted in memory as they moved through the forms. Stretching and leaning, pulling the water and pushing it away. She was finally making a small home in this foreign place.

Katara leaned forward and dropped the water onto the deck, spinning and twirling in the air over the puddle, she landed in a crouch and pulled the water back to her side.

Gran Gran used to tell her that you painted a story with your movements. She felt like telling her story to the moon.

 _She was taken from her home._

She kicked a foot high into the air making a vertical split and spun the water angrily around her.

 _She missed her family._

Katara dropped from her standing position and laid on the floor, one hand reaching out above her head. The pooling water on the ground flowed away from her before pulling it back and letting the water bring her back to standing. The blue liquid encircling her shoulders in a soft embrace.

 _She was imprisoned_.

Katara violently threw her arms out and rose spikes of ice from the deck. She flicked her wrists and spun, creating more and more spikes that slowly encircled her.

 _She met the prince_.

The ice cracked and melted to water. She ran to a lower portion of the icy cage and aerial flipped out of her frozen cage. The beads of her top clinking delicately as she moved. Spinning on the tops of her toes to a stop. Closing her eyes and standing on her tiptoes, she brought the cold water around her. She let it slowly

spin in a rotating circle.

 _She felt protected_.

A second circle formed out of the first and spun in the opposite direction. Katara turned and−

The slam of a heavy metal door shocked her system.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Her water splashed to the ground as the voice of the fire prince shattered her concentration. She spun to face him.

"I can explain−"

"You're a waterbender?! Since when?!"

"Birth…technically speaking…"

The fire prince stopped a few feet away from her, she couldn't read the expression on his face. "Does Zhao know?"

Katara bit her lip before shaking her head.

"Good, you should try to keep it that way." Katara couldn't tell if it was annoyance or gratefulness that resonated in this voice. His golden eyes maintained their glare until she saw a flash of something in his eyes before he looked down. He turned away, "I suggest you get some rest and head to your room. The sailors will be up working soon to dock in a few hours to grab supplies from a nearby harbor before we make port at Ember Island." He started to step away. Before she knew what she was doing, her hand grasped onto his wrist. The prince turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised.

What was she supposed to say now?

"Katara−"

"Stay…just a little bit longer." She watched his throat bob in the moonlight.

"Katara I…"

"Please? It's all I'm asking after weeks of silence." He let out a soft breath before turning back towards her. He eyed the ground.

"Um…would you mind?" He pointed towards the numerous puddles on deck. With a wave of her arm, Katara pushed the water off the edge and through the open sections of the railing, leaving the deck as it was before she arrived. She looked back at him and tried to smile through her racing heart.

"Sorry about that…" He made no acknowledgement and turned away, making a guesture for her to follow. They both walked to the edge of the ship's railings and looked out towards the setting moon.

"Be careful who you practice around. Not everyone in the Fire Nation is so accepting of other benders." Katara looked at him through the corner of her eye.

"Are you one of them?"

"No, and you'll have my uncle to thank for that." He seemed to scoff at some joke.

"Your Highness, I−"

"Zuko." He cut her off, looking at her fully.

"Zuko," she tried his name tentatively, "can I ask you a question?" She had to look at him when he was silent, seeing him encourage her with just a look. "Why did you get angry at me?"

"It's not…I'm not angry with you. I was just caught off guard. That whole day caught me off guard." Katara saw his knuckles turn white as he gripped the handrail, but his voice never gave evidence to any emotion. "You have 'honor bound' written in formal Agnilese on your neck. I'm sure it was a clever ploy of Zhao's and my father's to piss me off further." He released the railing with a hiss and turned to face her. "It's getting late. I'll walk you to your room."

And with that the prince effectively cut off any room for conversation. Even the walk back to the room was silent, Katara couldn't help but wring the material of the robe around her fingers. As they finally entered the small room, she turned back to him quickly.

"I'm glad I saw you again." He looked up at her with a raised brow. "It's been a long time since I saw you and I thought through this entire time you were angry with me. I'm glad that's not the case." He gave a small nod and turned back towards the door, not before noticing the unwrapped package on the desk.

"So you've seen it, huh?" Katara looked up from her hands.

"What?"

"The tea." His voice seemed angered.

"Yes…what does it say? I can't read your language." He let out a snort.

"It says 'Lover's Solution'." He paused to cough, "it's to prevent unwanted pregnancies." Katara eyes grew wide.

"Oh."

"Classy aren't they? My father's advice was 'use it wisely and use it well'." Katara felt her face heat up at the string of colorful cursing he used towards his father.

"Are you allowed to say that?" Zuko closed the lid to the tea and set it on the desk.

"Are you going to disagree that they aren't rat-hamster cum−" Katara slapped her hands over his mouth.

"How are you even still alive?!" Zuko narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Mmmm"

"What?" Zuko yanked her hands from his face.

"It doesn't matter. They're both conniving bastards. And outside of formal family visits, I never visit the main land." Katara took a seat in the desk chair as Zuko leaned against the desk. "If you couldn't tell already, the relationships in my family aren't peachy. Stay out of their business and stay away from them." A short stream of fire through his teeth shot at the ceiling, Zuko got up and walked quickly towards the door. He paused before closing it and turned towards Katara once more. "By the way, the crew is celebrating the last docking for about the next month once we've reached Ember Island. They're making it a music night. With your dancing…I figured you would enjoy it."

Katara whispered a small "thanks" before he shut the door completely.

She huffed as she turned back towards the small room. Katara made her way to the small dresser and grabbed the thin linen shirt she had been using to sleep in. The beads of the navy blue top she wore clinked against the metal basin as she scrubbed her outfit clean. As they made they're way closer to the Fire Nation, Katara had become more and more grateful of the skimpy looking outfit. The climate change from harsh winter to humid summer was enough to give anyone whiplash, and at the rate they were sailing through the waters, Katara wouldn't have enough time to even adjust to the new climate before they docked at their destination.

She tiredly blew a stray strand of hair in front of her face as she hung up her now cleaned bottom garment and headed to bed.

Zuko had mentioned they would be docking in a small port before their final destination. Katara thought of what tomorrow night would bring. It would be a good excuse to get out of the small room and maybe talk with the prince again. She couldn't deny the fact that he was an interesting character. It felt like his very soul burned like fire, sparking and flaring against any friction.

With one last look around the room, Katara extinguished the candle wicks with a flick of her wrist, throwing the remaining bubble back into the water basin and fell asleep.

 _o_

The sounds of crates banging and angry yelling woke Katara out of her dream world. She could easily make out the sounds of the prince's voice yelling orders to the crew. The heavy thudding of footsteps back and forth in the halls gave off the idea that they must have already made it to the port. Sneaking a quick peak into the hallway, Katara sped out of the room and to the cafeteria for a quick bite of breakfast. She had to maneuver around the halls as the men carried heavy crates on top their shoulders. One had even pushed her aside roughly as he walked, nearly toppling the cargo on his shoulders all over the floor. She stayed put in her room after that.

Katara had made it out to the deck as the day finally shifted to night. The crew had finally calmed down, and apparently the prince had spent an extra shiny copper piece on a crate of fire nation whiskey for the entire

ship.

The men cheered as the wooden crate was opened and the music instruments were pulled out of storage. Bottles passed back and forth, the prince grabbing one for himself. Katara kept an eye on him as he sat more towards the bow of the ship, using the various wooden crates as a makeshift table.

She felt her skin burn when his golden eyes turn to her. The fire pit that had been lit in the center of the deck had cast an orange glow on the men. But as Katara watched the prince raise a finger, beckoning her closer, she gulped as his golden dragon eyes made her feel like his prey.

When she was a few steps away, the prince raised his hand. A collapsed black fan with gold calligraphy pointed out towards her.

"Make yourself useful." He eyed her when she didn't respond. "You do know what a fan is…right?"

Katara swallowed thickly, "of course, your highness." She tried to swallow the humiliation at the jeers from the crew as Zuko pulled her towards his right side. Her cheeks felt hot as he wrapped his arm around her hips, pulling her flushed to him as she stood next to him. He must have picked up on her emotions as he tilted his head up to look at her.

"Something wrong?" She could feel the dark warning down to her bones. With a sharp move of her wrist, the fan snapped open.

"Of course not." Zuko eyed her dangerously before grabbing his bottle and taking a swig. The men played their music and danced happily. The bottles began to pile in the corner as the night grew on and Katara continued to slowly fan the fire prince. Her attention was brought back to them when she heard the drunk shouts aiming towards their direction. Zuko's hand grabbed her wrist, stopping the motion of her hand.

"Indeed." Her eyes shot to his.

"What?"

"You heard them. Dance for us." Anger electrocuted every cell in her body.

"The women of my tribe only dance for their husbands." She growled out low, making sure only the prince would hear. The fingers on her hips slowly increased in heat and pressure, digging uncomfortably into her flesh.

"Then you should have no problem dancing for me." She could almost feel the heat from his gaze, daring her to object.

"Please I−"

"You dare displease your master?" His voice dropping to a warning low tone as he brought her ear closer. The men continued to cheer and chant. The orange glow casting an eerie light on his scar, his eyes flickering with the flames. "I suggest…you dance…"

"…yes."

"Yes, _what…_ " Katara looked down as her chest constricted. It was getting hard to keep her voice steady.

"Yes…my prince." Immediately he released his hold. She didn't waste a moment getting out of the prince's grasp.

The steady beat of a drum thrummed in her rib cage. So he wanted her to dance? She felt all of the eyes of the men on her as she made her way to the center of the circle. A tambourine gave way to new rhythm and the sound of a guitar wandered through the air. Two men got up in the corner, being the most drunk of the group, and started dancing together.

Katara turned back to the prince. If he wanted her to dance, he'd get his dance.

The electrifying pounding of the drum and tambourine made it easy to find a rhythm as she rolled her hips in time with the beat. She raised her hands above her head and leaned back as she let the anger roll out of her limbs and to the tips of her fingers. She kept her gaze fully on the prince as she moved, he never broke eye contact with her even as he took a swig from his bottle.

The beat pounded faster as she rolled through the music. The men falling silent with small murmurs of appreciation. She thought the anger had finally seeped out when she glanced back at him to see a smirk playing across his features. The blood in her heart churned and thrashed in anger. Without a second thought,

Katara raised her arms, flicking her fingers up towards the sky.

Immediately, all of the alcohol in the open bottles shot up towards the sky. Even the liquid in the prince's bottle drew towards her as she spun. She paused as she looked around the deck, the majority of the men looking ready to bolt. The music had stopped.

Katara snaked the whiskey into thin streams the moved around her arms, looking as if they were floating eel-snakes acting on their own accord. Katara dipped an edge of the liquid towards the fire pit. In an instant the liquid was ablaze, swirling and moving around her at her command.

Another glance at the prince and she could see the interest peaking through. Again, Katara moved with the grace only a waterbender could possess. The fiery liquid swirling around her and lashing out violently in her dance. Her hips moved and swayed to the music in her mind, flipping through the air and swirling the liquid around her as she spun.

With one last flip backwards she sent her fire water and whipped it at the prince. The snap echoed through the silent deck. Katara landed in a crouch, sliding her make shift fire against the deck in a burning circle around her. She gave a mock bow of her head towards the prince as she finished, her anger still evident on her face.

She looked up at the crew when she heard no sounds for a few seconds. All of their gazes were directed towards the prince. Looking forward she had to stop the shock of the sudden fear threatening to drown her. The look on the prince's face was terrifying. The anger as evident on his face, the scar and the dimming glow of the firelight making him look more dragon than human.

Katara returned to her full height, keeping her gaze on the prince. She tried hard not to look away from his murderous look. She was Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, she will never back down.

The prince stood, placed his now empty bottle on the wooden crate next to him and made his way over to the water bender.

She should be safe. He wouldn't cross the flames unless he wanted to burn himself. Right?

The red flames licked at the air around her, almost to the height of her waist. And yet, the prince was still making his way towards her. She couldn't shake the nerves starting to surface when a slight smirk began to show on his face.

It wasn't until he was a few steps away when the impossible happened. The flames started to bend and dip away for him as he stepped over the flames. Katara's heart started racing.

She should have expected the Prince of Fire to be a firebender!

As soon as the Fire Prince had crossed her border the flames resumed their dance, trapping them inside. The crew made no movement towards them, the two drunken idiots had even stopped dancing to watch.

The prince stopped, leaving only inches between them. Katara refused to look up into his eyes and instead kept her gaze straight. She refused to acknowledge his place over her, metaphorically and physically.

She felt a finger on the edge of her jaw gently tilt her head just enough as the prince leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Don't play with fire against a firebender. You're out of your element." His voice was low.

With a harsh flick of his wrist, Katara's head is snapped to the side. It took all of her willpower to stay standing and _not_ reach out to balance herself. She turned her head to see him leave. The flames bent low around his form as he stepped over the circle's border and walked towards the metal door leading towards the belly of the ship. Katara gulped as she turned towards her fiery border, the flames were still burning high. There was no way Tui or La could save her from her fiery prison, she'd done this unto herself.

The crew had resumed music night around her. More bottles were broken out of the crates and the men cheered and danced around. It had taken the whiskey a good fifteen minutes to burn down to a height that

Katara didn't have to think twice to chance as she jumped over the border and ran to her room.

She didn't even look inside as she opened the door quickly and slammed it shut, leaning on the door with all her weight. Katara cursed herself. She dropped into her native language easily. At least this way no one could understand her cursing.

" _How could I be so stupid and think I was untouchable inside those flames?!_ Why didn't I THINK that he could be a firebender?!"

She banged her head against the metal door, once, twice.

" _I'm such an id−"_

Someone cleared their throat. Katara's eyes popped open as wide as saucers. It took her a second to find the prince standing across the room looking like he was in the middle of removing his shirt. His single eyebrow raised in confusion. Katara gulped and leaned on the handle to open the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were−"

"Stop." Katara froze. "Close the door." The soft metal click of the bolt sliding to home registered before she realized she was obeying him. With her back to the prince she didn't know what he was doing save for the soft sounds of clothing. She tried to stop the images of his bare chest from rising to the front of her mind.

His footsteps got closer. She clamped her eyes closed when he stopped behind her. The heat of his hands pinning her own to the door sent tingles up her arm. She wanted to fight him off, but she just couldn't. The humiliation of tonight had drowned out her rebellion. There was no way she would win.

Katara slowly turned to face him. The gold in his eyes sparkled like new polished coins in the candlelight.

The heat of his palms radiated into her lower back as he slowly walked them towards the mat. Anxiety jumped to the front of her mind as the backs of her calves hit the low bed.

This man is a firebender. Gran Gran always warned her. She told her stories of how they would burn their partners as a game.

His lips had latched onto the skin behind her earlobe, she wouldn't ever let him know just how much she wanted to shiver in pleasure.

His firm grip on her radiated a steady heat. The image of charred skin made her actually shiver. Firebenders were dangerous, and she had pissed off the prince of all firebenders. The sweet smell of whiskey floating in the air hit her nose. She had pissed off a _drunk_ firebender.

Slowly they lowered together over the mat, his body trapping her. Katara would not to let her body respond to his pleasure as he dragged his tongue across the muscles in her neck.

She turned her face away and bit her lip hard to suppress the sound threatening to escape her throat as Zuko's lips moved over to her inner elbow. Katara tightened her abdomen to silence herself as Zuko's palm moved in circles over her collarbone. His lips moved lower to her ribs, her stomach. She felt dizzy from her brain going into overdrive. He shifted on the mat and continued to move lower, Katara opened her eyes. Where did he think he was going?

 _Oh._

She couldn't suppress the surprised gasp when she felt his lips press against what little the bikini undergarment covered. Katara bolted upright into a sitting position and lifted his head up and away from her.

"Wha−what do you think you're doing?"

The initial surprise on his face didn't last for a second before a knowing smirk replaced it. "Just relax Katara." The look in his eyes didn't settle well with her. She tried again to push him away, but he easily batted her hand away and pushed her back against the mat.

"I don't think you're supposed to−" He cut her off.

"How about you decide afterwards." A finger hooked over the material on her hips and pulled. "Consider this your punishment for earlier tonight." The navy bottoms were pulled off her ankles. "You belong to me, actions against your master should never go unpunished." The knot holding her skirt together was untied, her heart was beating too fast.

"You're drunk! People don't do this−"

"Relax, you might even enjoy this. Lay back." Her heart thudded at the command, his voice giving an undertone of another threat that was evident in his hazy gaze. Slowly she leaned back to stare at the ceiling as his lips ghosted over her chest and abdomen. She felt his arms snake under her knees, adjusting slightly so his shoulders were under her legs.

Katara covered her face with her hands as she awaited the pain of her punishment. She felt hot breath ghost over her. Was he going to burn her down there as punishment? Her heart raced faster at the thought of healing charred skin that would take days to heal. HOW COULD HE−

"Aah!"

The first thought that registered in her head was, _'that wasn't fire_ '. Katara looked down at Zuko. If she didn't know better she would have thought he would be laughing at her. She tried to raise herself onto her elbows, but with another swipe of his tongue she dropped back to the mat again. The moans leaving her mouth were nothing she'd ever heard before.

Again and again Zuko moved his mouth against her and she was helpless to fight him off. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her spine. She wouldn't have been able to speak coherently even if she tried.

His hands pressed firmly against her hips, rolling them in opposite directions against his tongue. Katara tried to grab onto a blanket, a pillow…anything that would help, but it seemed everything was out of reach. In a desperate attempt to ground herself, she latched onto the prince's hair.

His moan against her sent electric tingles that shot to her toes. She grabbed onto his hair tighter.

Registering how his head was moving as he sucked, lapped and licked against her core was overload for her brain.

She couldn't silence the moan that released from her as he plunged his tongue inside, flicking it this way and that. When he moved just a fraction higher, he hit something powerful. Katara didn't notice the high pitched moan had come from her. She looked down towards Zuko. The victorious smirk evident even as he dragged his tongue against her again.

This was something new.

What was he _doing_ to her?

Katara dropped her head against the mat as another wave of pleasure burst through her. Another swipe of his tongue. Another heated pull from his lips. Katara was building. To what? She had no idea. Another wave burst through her. She tried to pull away from his lips but his grip held her firmly in place. She needed to get away. A shiver wracked through her body and Katara covered her mouth as another moan tried to escape her throat.

She grabbed onto his hair once more. The pleasure was getting too much. She needed release. She needed _him_ to give her release.

As if that thought was the key, a flood gate of fire and ice surged through her soul. Her loud moans had probably reached the crew on deck, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered right now. Another slow swipe of his tongue and she no longer had control over her body, he had taken it. And she would gladly give it again.

Katara looked down to see him give a gentle kiss to the inside of her thigh.

This man, this dragon hiding within human skin, had entranced and possessed her.

And that's when it hit her. She no longer belonged to herself but to this dragon of a man.

She watched him as he got up off the mat and made his way out of her sight. The sounds of a bath running reached her ears before the soft click of a door. She didn't know how much time had passed before she felt the covers shift over her. Had she fallen asleep?

Warm arms made their way under the blankets and over her waist, pulling her flush against him. The last thing her brain had registered was the soft heat of his chest against her back before her mind had faded into the night.

 _o_

A rustle of the covers had awoken Katara immediately. It took her mind a second to register the foreign body in the mat, she had grown so accustomed to sleeping alone. She turned to glance a peak at the prince as he leaned over on his elbows and tried to forcibly remove the sleep from his eyes with his hands. The morning dawn had just started to peak over the horizon, giving the room a pinkish glow.

As the sleep faded from her mind, Katara's vision focused more on the prince. A hand lifted to a faded scar on his ribs and lightly traced it with a finger. She couldn't help but stare as his back muscles seemed to flex at the touch.

As the dawn brightened the room, Katara saw more and more scars decorate his pale skin. Her interest grew when her hands traced short thick scars that made a small triangle.

"Seven years ago…three arrows." Her finger traced to the long scar on his ribs. "A knife wound from my teenage years." She traced a small circular burn mark that was toward the top of his left shoulder. "My sister gave that to me when we were younger."

"How come you have so many scars?" She traced a few more with curiosity.

"Let's just say I was a little more adventurous and a little less cautious when I was a teenager." He quickly rose from the mat and headed towards the bath, returning within moments with a basin and steaming water and set it on the desk. "I need to be ready for the docking at Ember Island, which should be soon." He threw a small towel next to the basin and looked towards Katara, raising an eyebrow. "…Well?"

She tried not to chide herself as she rose from the mat and retrieved her bottom garment. The beads of her top clinking as she moved around the room gathering his clothes. She took his old cloths and deposited them in a sac she had deemed for used clothing. She went to the basin and was about to dip the towel into the hot water before a warm hand grabbed her wrist.

"That's actually for you." Katara bit her lip and looked at the prince. She didn't like the feeling she was getting in her chest.

"Thanks." With his clean clothes now properly tied, Katara retrieved the armor that hung on a frame in the corner. With a few directions and hints, she was able to properly place his chest plate and wrist guards and tie them appropriately. She looked at him curiously when he handed her a red tying band and kneeled on the ground.

Katara tried not to think about the feeling of his hair in her hands as she combed her fingers through it. Memories of the previous night made her sometimes pull a little too harshly at a knot. After the second try, she was finally able to get the top knot right. Zuko tilted his head back and looked her in the eye as she finally placed the fire emblem in his hair.

Would there ever be a time where she didn't feel as if she was burning under his gaze?

A hard knock on the door jolted her back to reality. A gruff voice on the other side of the door announced they would be making port within the hour. They hadn't even waited to hear a response before they left.

Katara looked back to Zuko when she heard him clearing his throat. She didn't realize until she finally looked back that she hadn't released her hold over him and had even slid her hands over the corners of his jaw. She felt the betrayal of a blush dust her cheeks as she whipped her hands back to her side.

Last night and now this? Gran Gran would be furious with her.

"Come to the deck when you're ready."

"I will." The door closed behind him with a clang.

Not even thirty minutes had passed before Katara found herself back on deck, dressed and prepared to leave the ship. She had bagged the few items in the room into a shoulder sack before departing. She couldn't help the smile that spread over her face as she looked to the cloudy sky. She was finally given a break from all of this heat and the humidity in the air promised a warm shower of rain.

As the ship got closer to port, Katara noticed a small carriage waiting. She had to squint to see the faint outline of a woman. As they got closer, Katara was able to make out the woman's beautiful face. She was tall and slender and the very stereotype she had ever heard of for a Fire Nation woman. Katara didn't think she had ever seen such dark black hair.

Katara's hair was long and wavy, uncontrolled now in this heated humidity. Her body was short and curvy and at least five shades darker than the tannest sailor on board the ship. Katara was a water tribe woman personified.

But this woman was beautiful…and everything she _wasn't_.

As she leaned against the railing, the woman had finally noticed Katara's presence. It took all of her might not to shrink back and hide when the woman shot a menacing glare directly at her.

As the plank lowered to the docks, Katara followed after the prince.

"What is this? You've got to be joking…" The lack of emotion on the woman's face was almost as scary as her tone. Her face was blank as Zuko held out an arm for the woman. She simply sighed in annoyance before turning towards the carriage, ignoring him completely. As they walked, Katara tried to keep up with the Fire Nation language, but they were talking so low and never once showing emotion in their faces as far as she could see. Katara could barely understand them save for names. Although the word 'slave' was as clear as day.

She felt her chest constrict when Zuko leaned down to give the woman a kiss only for her to turn her cheek at the last moment. Zuko closed the door and seemed to mutter a few more words before he walked over to Katara.

"Who is that woman?" Zuko lead her to the wagon behind the carriage that had a tent-like covering. He turned to her once they arrived and held the door open for her.

"That's my wife." The slam of the door seemed to end the conversation.

 _o_

A week had passed and Katara still felt like she was walking on daggers. LITERALLY. She was given a room in the far wing of the house with a small balcony that had a view of the ocean. Unless absolutely necessary, Katara had never left her room outside of meal times.

She had passed the wife once in the hallway while she was carrying her laundry and had barely made it out with her life. How was she supposed to know how many daggers that woman could carry on her person? She definitely had more than thirteen. It had taken hours for Katara to sew all the holes in her skirt closed.

Even with her self proclaimed exile, Katara was still visited by the prince before the evening meals. Katara had learned that it was a custom to have formal dinners served every night, and every night the prince would have his formal clothing delivered to her room so that she would be able to dress him. Katara tried to talk with the few servants of the house only to be told that if the mistress had caught wind they were talking with her, they would be punished or beaten or worse. They were under direct orders from Lady Mai to cease any communication with her.

Katara tried to stay as small and as tucked away in her little corner as possible. She didn't blame the wife one bit. Katara probably would have done the same or worse if she had found out her husband brought home someone else.

But while it was against Fire Nation law to kill a personal companion, Lady Mai still had the power to make her life a living hell. According to Katara, she was doing an excellent job of it.

During the middle of the second week, Katara had stumbled upon the library. Not daring to venture out during the daylight hours, Katara waited until a few hours after sundown before she ventured through the house and discovered some scrolls that seemed almost elementary in writing, with pictures that went along with words. She only asked Zuko how to pronounce the harder, more complicated words during his short visits.

A few days had passed and the routine remained the same. Her only visits were from the prince or from a servant bringing food and offering her a sad, sympathetic smile before leaving. It wasn't until the third week where that routine was broken abruptly.

Katara sat in her bed re-reading the scroll she had discovered a week ago when she heard a light knocking at her door. Katara chanced a look towards the closed window. The bright light of the quarter moon giving her peace of mind. She unlocked the chain and opened the door slowly. The golden eyes of the prince were waiting on the other side. Her eyebrow raised as he swayed in place.

"I'm sorry it's so late, but may I come in?" Katara couldn't help the confusion be evident on her face as she opened the door wide. She watched him enter and sit on the small couch that sat near her fireplace, a familiar bottle of whiskey and two cups in hand. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed at some irritation. "I was wondering if I could just talk with you."

"I would appreciate it. I haven't really had anyone to talk with since I've been here." Katara sat on the couch with him.

"And I'm sorry about that too. But you're not the only one she's making life hell for." Zuko poured the whiskey into the cups, handing one towards Katara.

"I understand why she's like this though…" She scrunched her nose as she took a sip, the whiskey was a lot stronger than her tribe's concoctions.

"No, she's always been like this." Zuko leaned back and downed his cup, he let out a strangled cough before pouring another glass. "We had agreed to an arranged marriage when we were younger. Mai apparently had second thoughts or just realized I wasn't all I was cracked up to be and the night before the wedding had tried to flee. Needless to say, she was caught by her parents and forced to marry me." Zuko closed his eyes and massaged his temple. "My father thinks I'm a joke and not able to have children. Honestly I don't think Mai even wants kids…" He let out a small growl, "I shouldn't even be telling you this…just forget I said anythin−" He had gotten up to leave, but the firm grip on his wrist made him pause.

"I don't mind it. You're the only person I can talk to and your voice is a nice break from the silence." Zuko eyed her warily before sitting back down again. He poured her another drink. She blinked, when did her glass get empty?

With some prompting on her part, Katara had learned that Zuko and Mai had once been in love, but now all that grew between them was a never ending hatred. He confessed that the two had just finished another fight and Zuko had to leave before his anger had gotten the better of him.

"Neither of us are the same person we once were."

After a few more sips, he talked more of his home life. While he was out at sea, Mai would reside in their home. As soon as he returned, she would leave to visit with Ty Lee or Azula for months until he had to leave once more. They worked perfectly when they didn't have to see each other. But during the days of overlap their home would turn into a war zone.

Katara poured the next set of drinks. She talked about the ways and how marriages worked in the tribe. She talked about how men had to show their strength and a series of contests would play out as the men fought for the woman's hand. Katara couldn't help the giggle escape when she thought it was so funny that it was the other way around in the Fire Nation. Zuko didn't think it was funny at all, which only made her laugh harder.

"You're still laughing about that?!" He said, his cheeks red from all the alcohol. Katara looked at his exasperated look before trying to cover her giggle behind her hand, the effect only making her snort sound like a tiger seal's.

"I mean come on, what do men _really_ have to offer? Us, women, give you food, shelter and not to mention the next _generation_ _…_ your Fire Nation customs are backwards and don't make sense." Katara took another sip, she liked that the whiskey gave her a confidence she didn't know she had.

Zuko snorted into his drink, "says the barbarian."

"…to the woman…" Zuko glared at her when he finally realized her play on words. Katara felt the heat rise to her cheeks as his glare lessened and seemed to sweep over her legs.

"No doubt about that." Katara couldn't tell if it was the burst of confidence or the death of her intelligence that made the next words leave her mouth. A small part of her felt that she didn't care.

"Do you…do you want my company?"

On his second try, Zuko had stood and hurriedly staggered towards the bed. Throwing his clothing as he made his way over. Katara didn't even bother to hide her laugh as Zuko cursed and fumbled to untie his boots. Katara snuck into the bathroom as gracefully as she could. She mentally gave herself a pat on the back when she only staggered once on the way. Another heavy thump onto the wooden floor, Katara could hear her bedding rustle and a soft grunt. Katara splashed her face with some cold water to try and sober up before making her way to her bed and stopped.

She almost rolled her eyes at the sight. He was completely unconscious and laying spread eagle. The fool hadn't even gotten his pants off before he hit the bed. She could only tell he was breathing by the soft snores that escaped him every so often. She couldn't help the smile on her face as she looked at him once more and made her way to her side of the bed. With a small huff, she blew out the candle and turned to face him. Even though he was asleep, Katara couldn't help but blush at the wild thumping of her heart as she curled up in his warmth.

 _o_

 **A/N:** It makes me so happy you guys are enjoying the story! Thanks so much for the follows/favs/reviews! They make me super happy! And I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story. One more chapter after this and it may be a monster of a one… See you guys in chapter 3!

-AR


End file.
